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Whale Poop Is Sequestering Carbon In The Atmosphere

September 18, 2015

Written byCuriosity Staff

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Whales often poop in the deep ocean, and that poop rises, bringing nutrients up to the surface. This whale poop acts as a fertilizer for shallow ecosystems. Because these phytoplankton are getting important nutrients from the whale poop, huge blooms of phytoplankton develop, soaking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. It is estimated that sperm whale poop helps sequester 200,000 tons of carbon from the atmosphere every year.